Child and Youth Care (Year 1)

The three-year Child and Youth Care Ontario College Advanced Diploma program prepares you to help vulnerable children, youth and families with complex needs.

Learn to develop and implement a wide range of prevention, intervention and treatment strategies to foster positive change and healthy development in clients. Apply the principles of relational practice with clients, while respecting their unique culture and human diversity.

In classes, you learn practical and theoretical concepts and then apply them in field placements.

Working with clients in field placements helps you to develop into a confident and competent child and youth care practitioner. By the end of this program, you have more than 1,000 hours of experience in the field of child and youth care.

This is the only Child and Youth Care program in Ontario to offer two courses in therapeutic outdoor activities. In these courses, you learn to facilitate therapeutic activities in the outdoors while on a camping trip with fellow classmates and faculty - a truly memorable learning experience.

There is a wide variety of work opportunities for you after graduation. As a child and youth care practitioner, you may find employment in a:

• group home
• hospital
• mental health treatment centre
• shelter
• school
• youth justice program
• community resource centre

If you are interested in furthering your education, this program is a good foundation for future studies in child and youth care, education, social work, psychology and sociology.

Part-time students have three years to complete year one (level one and level two) of the program.

Success Factors

This program is well-suited for students who:

• Are emotionally strong and able to cope with stress, challenges and crises.
• Are committed to understanding, working with and facilitating positive change in the lives of children, youth, families and the community.
• Prefer to work as a member of a team.
• Have strong observation and analytical skills.
• Have strong language (oral and written) skills.
• Are open minded, embrace the concept of diversity, respect and accept the uniqueness in others.

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Develop and maintain relationships with children, youth and their families, applying principles of relational practice and respecting their unique life space, cultural and human diversity.
2. Assess and respond to the strengths and needs of children and youth, including complex responses impacted by developmental, environmental, physical, emotional, social and mental health challenges in order to promote positive change.
3. Analyze and evaluate the impact of the inter-relationship among family, social service, justice and community systems on children, youth and their families and use this information in the planning of holistic care and in the reduction of systemic barriers.
4. Plan, implement and evaluate interventions using evidence-informed practices in the areas of therapeutic milieu and programming, and group work to promote resiliency and to enhance development in children, youth and their families.
5. Advocate for the right of children, youth and their families and maintain an anti-oppression perspective and cultural competence in diverse cultural contexts.
6. Apply communication, teamwork and organizational skills within the interprofessional team and with community partners to enhance the quality of service in child and youth care practice.
7. Develop and implement self-care strategies using self-inquiry and reflection processes to promote self-awareness and to enhance practice as a child and youth care practitioner.
8. Use evidence-based research, professional development resources and supervision models to support professional growth and lifelong learning.
9. Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.